07.18.12
Angela Storey
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034
angela.d.storey@nasa.gov
Tim Hall
U.S. Space & Rocket Center
256-722-5609
timh@spacecamp.com
RELEASE: 12-065
NASA'S MARSHALL CENTER TO OPEN FOR PUBLIC TOURS JULY 20, COURTESY OF U.S. SPACE & ROCKET CENTER IN HUNTSVILLE, ALA.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,
Ala., soon will throw open many of its doors to the public, sharing
an inside look at the work of the nation's space program. Beginning
July 20, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville will launch a
regular series of Marshall bus tours.
"We're excited to partner with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center for this
revealing tour of our world-class facilities," said Marshall Center
Acting Director Gene Goldman. "Marshall is tasked with developing
some of NASA's most critical science, engineering and space
exploration projects and missions -- helping to extend a human
presence into the solar system, unlock the secrets of the cosmos, and
improve and protect lives here on Earth.
"Demonstrating the innovations and intricacies of that work to
visitors from all over the nation will be a pleasure and a privilege
for the Marshall team," he added.
Tours will visit a number of key Marshall laboratories and test sites,
including many involved in development of NASA's Space Launch System,
the advanced, heavy-lift launch vehicle that will enable new
exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit. The Marshall Center is
leading development of the Space Launch System for NASA -- a national
endeavor incorporating the work of NASA field centers and industry
partner facilities across the country.
Bus tours also will introduce visitors to historic sites where early
American rockets were tested; state-of-the-art facilities where NASA
develops and tests powerful new flight vehicles, space systems,
uncrewed science probes and space imagers; and the International
Space Station Payload Operations Center -- where Marshall personnel
are in contact around the clock with station crews, orchestrating
science experiments and maintaining communications between astronauts
and researchers around the world.
"It is our honor to be Marshall's Visitor Center and to once again
open the doors to their groundbreaking work," said Dr. Deborah
Barnhart, chief executive officer and executive director of the U.S.
Space & Rocket Center. "We are pleased that Redstone facilities and
programs will be featured on the tours going forward."
The Marshall Center bus tours will be available to all visitors to the
U.S. Space & Rocket Center, situated at One Tranquility Base off
Interstate 565 in Huntsville. For center hours, directions and more
information, visit:
http://www.rocketcenter.com
More about the Marshall Center
Established in 1960, the Marshall Center is one of NASA's largest
field centers, occupying more than 1,800 acres on the U.S. Army's
Redstone Arsenal. Approximately 5,000 scientists, engineers,
technicians and support personnel work in 125 unique and specialized
facilities and laboratories. Marshall is the third largest employer
in the Huntsville area, and a major contributor to the economic
success of North Alabama and the Tennessee Valley.
NASA relies on the center's engineering and scientific expertise to
build launch vehicles, spacecraft and scientific instruments that
enable the United States to explore and discover. Marshall provides
the multidiscipline engineering expertise behind a variety of space
transportation and propulsion systems. It has been a major
contributor to NASA flagship missions, from the historic Apollo lunar
voyages and 30 years of space shuttle flights, to the Space Launch
System and other cutting-edge vehicles, systems and missions now
being developed to conduct advanced science and exploration in Earth
orbit and beyond.
Marshall also enables scientific discovery through development of
hardware and instruments for projects including the Chandra X-ray
Observatory -- now in its second decade of documenting some of the
most vivid cosmic phenomena ever seen -- and the Japanese-led mission
Hinode studying the sun. The center develops, integrates and operates
major components and systems on the International Space Station and
supports its science operations around the clock.
The popular U.S. Space & Rocket Center -- combining a rich aviation
and aerospace museum, hands-on science learning center and family
theme park -- serves as Marshall's Visitor Information Center. At the
Space & Rocket Center, visitors can learn more about Marshall's
legacy and ongoing work. Interactive Marshall exhibits and unique,
historic NASA artifacts demonstrate Marshall's critical role in
supporting the breadth of NASA's missions.
For more information about the work of the Marshall Center, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/marshall
-end-